The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-16
A HEARrLEss WRETCH.
Arrest of the Manager of a Nefarious Scheme
of Procuration.

Arrest of the Manager of a Nefarious Scheme
of Procuration.
AS vile and shameful a scheme of procuration
could be imagined has just como TO light in
this city. In one of the Sunday morning papers
of July appeared the following advertisement:
yNANTED-A young girl to go to New York as
w companion to midde-aged person. Call at
once at No. 43 East Eighteenth street.
Within the two following days nearly three
hundred young women applied for the position,
all of them being met and questioned by slim,
lady like woman of about thirty years. who gave
her name Anna Minerva Crook. From the
callers she finally selected plump, petite. hand
some woman, about twenty years Of age, who re-
sided with her mother and family on Vincennes
withheld. Mrs. Crook after the preliminaries
were arranged, said she would like her for
companion fc- herself: that she
wished her to remain with her for &
few days. and that then she would send her
to New York to be cared for by Mrs. Crooks
brother and her aunt, who was tho lady who
needed her for a companion. The object Mrs.
Crook had in wishing the young lady to re-
main with her in her rooms on Eighteenth
street was evidently, to learn something of the
girls character and how best to manage and to
mold her for the base purposes in view, for, it
should now be stated while she was to go to
New York ostensibly as companion to q lady,
panion to a man Mrs. Crook called at first Char
les Crook, her brother. then Stevenson, and
VIII now, she says, with vileness hardly credi
BILE, is no other than her husband. While they
winning the young girls affection, and told her
that she was going to homo OF comfort and
kindness il not Of luxury. and added that she
hoped she would like her brother, who was very
affectionate. They had their photographs taken
together, and one was sent to. the 'brother,"
that he might RECOGNIZE the young lady when
she reached the depot in Now York.
At 8: 10 o'clock in the afternoon OF July the
woman was given a ticket for New York and
placed aboard Michigan Central train. On the
way she made the acquaintance of Mrs Henry
Pope. of No. 976 Ninth avenue, New York city
The train arrived two hours late. and one
being at the depot to meet the young lady. Mrs.
Pope took her with her to her homo, and Mr..
Pope telegraphed here to Mrs. Crook for her
supposed brothers address. The brother also
the girl. Mrs. Crook relegraphed Mr.. Pope that
her brother would call for the young lady, which
he did on the following evening, and took her to
a furnished fiat at No 226 Monroe street, Brook
lyn, where he lived all alone. Mr.. Pope, after
his conversation with Crook, became suspicious
of him, as did also very soon the young lady and
her friends here. Her mother consulted Matt
Pinkerton. who set his agents at work. and
quickly satisfying himself that everything
not all right, he succeeded in having the
young lady's whereabouts in Brooklyn located.
and she left then and the next day started
for her home in this city. In the meantime Mr..
Pinkerton had arrested Mrs. Crook the charge
OF abduction, and search of her rooms dis
closed large bundle of letters from her alleged
brother. but whom she claims as her husband
The letters are vile and vulgar to an intense de-
gree After being taken to Mr.. Pinkertons Of
nee Mrs. Crook made various statements, put
finally confessed the real purpose for which the
young lady was sent to New York. She was
taken before Justice BraytoD, on Wednesday.
and there held in So. 900 to the Criminal Court
for abduction. She autographed to Brooklyn to
her alleged brother or husband, but had received
reply up to last night She has secured
counsel and is trying to get bail, but will likely
go to the county Jail this morning.
Mrs. Crook was seen by reporter for the
Times last evening in Mr.. Pnkertons office, but
she refused to answer question or engage in
conversation She ia slim woman, medium
sized with small. impassive. but not unhand-
some face. and with sinuous motion. which
betravs a treacherons disposition.